The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1887-03-20

Entered ut the Post orncc Mt Washington,
DC. rs seoond.ciass Matter.
Editorial and Publication Oficcs, No. 400 .
Tcnth street Northwest.
wAsuINGToN##;';;##sa'H:MARcH 20, 1857,
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
Subscription, -, ddruneso per mar ..... a:.5o
R.inittdncAs should hc made hp postal note, ,
'rousU order. or checks on Nem YORK or Washing. |
Ton. When checks M bduts IN o,her cities arc |
sent NE cnt of collection wiU nc deducted.
n Assistant Commissioner Of Patents Vance is |
not promoted 10 the vacancy caused by the rcsig- |
nation Of Mr.. Montgomery twill he because the |
President does not know his worth. 1hcrc Is
only one thing which can bc said against Rob.
or, II, Vance, and that Ia that hc sometimes |
writes poetry. But ho has not written great |
deal, and what he has written is rather good. |
The possession of the literary faculty does not |
prcvsn, him from being thorough gentleman |
and nm able md upright officer.
-----A>-S->>--
WHO can ever satisfactorily explain why the /
triangle ut Thirteenth street and the Avenue was
robbed ofi,strccs' Colonel Wilson has expressed !
wish TO remove the fence and lay walks In II, |
hut who was responsible for removing the trees 2
n is hardly worth while now to 60 to the trouble
vi NVtnlnE ~ IunllC urc. us tutrc IN NDenHue
10 make II attractive. The first and most I'm
portant element in any park is its trees, and 1,
takes so long for them to grow TO fine size that
their value when grown is not easily calculated.
po cut them down without good reason is TO
rob the city of more than money can replace.
n is hard TO understand what good reason
there could have boon for dcnuding this tri-
angle. People say It was done 10 better dis.
play the new thca,re, but that is too serious n
reflection upon the Commissioners 10 be lightly
made. Az all events, the damage ought to be
repaired as speedily as possible by planting
new trees.
Some il.advised members Of our Jockey Club
are too free with forebodings about the future
of racing at Ivy City. They 60 so far as to say
tha. II the pool bill passes in New York we
shall have no more fall meetings This is nom
sense. New York cannot absorb the whole
Eastern turf. The number Of thoroughbreds
Increases so fast that there will be plenty Of
good horses available for racing in Baltimore
and Washington. even IL the New York clubs
do play hog and take up all the time II they
do that. however, there will he an end 10 all
chance for n National Turf organization In
which all the properly organized clubs will bc
represented. This has come 10 be almost ne
IS of course impossible II the New York clubs
are going TO play dog in the manger by string
ing their meetings ont on alternate days from
April till November. We do not believe they
will do this If the Baltimore and Washington
clubs make proper representations.
----~.~e~-
II Is reported that because a stranger Knocked
at the door of Oak View Cottage one evening
last week, inouirinC for the late owner Of the
place. in ignorance OF the fact that he no longer
lived there, two policemen are to be detailed
for duty there. This Is doubtless right enough,
though It is straining of the functions of po-
lice officers TO detail them TO perform the du-
ties ordinarily required Of lodge-keepers game
keepers, footmen. and other personal attend
ants. 1t should be remembered, however. that
these men are thus withdrawn from the scanty
and overworkcd number guarding an enormous
territory and caring for the safety of life aud
property in n city which lie every year outgrow.
ing its police force. Tic least return the Presi-
dent can make for such drauehts upon our
already too depleted corps Of guardians of the
peace is to give his official influence to securing
from Congress nn increase Of this force. The
ren additional men provided for by the last
Congress are insufficient The next Congress
ought to allow one hundred more men
The investigation by Senator Cockrell's com
mittee into the methods of business and work
in the Executive Departments of the Govern
uent and the causes Of delays in transactina
tire public business will doubtless prove TO he
much more laborious undertaking than was a
frst calculated upon. Senator Cockrell real
i.es this IN i'e fact, and he says he will pros
eeutc the inquiries with all his energy. Certain
IL il that the work Is n very important one. ant
will be productive Of good results The dut,
of the Executive ''to take care that the laws b,
faithfully executed, - to which President Cleve
Iann especially pledged his administration, ha
not been performed as scrupulously, in som,
eases, ms IL ought TO hive been, or az the Prssi
dent would have required II 20 be had he besI
aware of the circumstances. That tho Cockrel
committee will investigate and report upol
several cases of this character We know. and II
this, II in no other matter, the committee vii
earn the gratitude Of Congress as well as of IN
president
The New York Herald correspondent claim
10 have discovered that The District of Colum
bia controls one-fourth Of all the appointment
IN the Executive Departments. This Is mercl,
I'D exaggerated restatSliept Of ap error whcl
has become almost universal. hat which la
been nrrsed ana enlarged upon for their owl
purposes by members of Congress and patron
age-seekers from abroad until it has been gen
erally accepted as the truth. In point Of fac
nearly all the department civil servants ar
residents Of The District. A few obtain or re
Rain homes In Maryland or Virginia, and TIM
swell what is stupidity called 'the quota" o
those unlueky S,ates. But n majority of per
SOM who obtain employment here sooner o
later lose all claim 20 legal hahltation else
where and finally swell 'the quota" Of this un
represented and disfranchised District Tn
entire theory of quotas is absurd and also uu
workable The President has properly said III
SOverpmeni is not an almoIer, hui II the ciyi
service is not TO have at least taint OF the soup
house idea, what difference does II make whcr
ifspersonnel comes from or how II Is distributed
Happointnents are 10 be made for mort alone
geographical points cannot be considered
But Ar the stupid law does provide for geo
graphical distribution, hordss Of people who " err
born and lived all their lives elsewhere unit
they came here 10 get Offices oaght not Tn b
charged To the quota Of this District
-.
WEAK CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM
The bringing of Il country lawyer from Wis
sonsin 10 be chief clerk OF the Post Office De
paTtment illustrates the civil service reform
'"'Nv IN ~ ie III" pInNtu' II VIC eOfnpcEuN
examination system II worth anything Of eopsc
aienec, its fruits must b9 the development fron
Within tho Departments Of the best men for chic
eierkships ana other places where the io-t pcr
feet knowledge of the business Of the bureaux
required. chief clerk 1r chief Of dvisio
brought in frun outside the Department, IL nee
essarily for u long period Iuere agure.head
who is compelled 10 depend entirely apon III
xii, experience, and fidelity of his subordinate,